Cubed3's Reviews
This is, regardless of medium, one of the finest time travel stories to have been told, and a superb example of a true artist plying their craft. The other titles in the Science Adventure series have all been great and worth experiencing, but Steins;Gate sets itself completely apart as something truly special. Not only is it a requirement for any visual novel fan, but it is also an ideal title to introduce potential new players to the genre.
BlazeRush is a solid, top-down fast-paced car combat racing title that succeeds in delivering an accessible and fun thrill ride to its audience. The only shortcoming is the lack of a substantial player base - an unfortunately self-replicating predicament. With versions on PlayStation 3 and PC, it may be that the PlayStation 4 version is simply the lesser experience. Then again, there is always the local multiplayer. Now, to make at least three real life friends… Hmm.
It's very short. Even getting all the main endings can be done in under 20 hours, but aside from that, Undertale is a tour de force to be reckoned with. It's filled with heart, humour, and raw emotion, while never forgetting that it's a game. Its gameplay is just as strong as its stellar writing. Undertale is a crowning achievement in RPGs and games in general.
Although in some regards a missed opportunity to celebrate the series with new content, Gunman Clive HD Collection is well worth its minuscule asking price, bringing together not only one, but two already classic-status titles from the portable world into one tasty -and delightfully gorgeous HD - package on Wii U eShop. It's one of the best 2D platformers currently on the market and a fantastic example of an indie hit.
For some, football is just a silly game where 22 men are chasing a ball, while for others it is the Queen of Sports. The same thing applies to motorcycle speedway, which may not be as popular as motocross, supercross, or superbike racing, but it's the most sensational pastime for its fans - apart from the umbrella girls, of course. In other words, those not really in the sport might find FIM Speedway Grand Prix 15 boring, forgettable, and even irritating due to its high level of challenge and attention to protocol. The real problem, though, is that, while it's a fine piece of software that will surely entertain speedway "connoisseurs" with its adrenaline-pumping heats and capturing of the stadium's mood, it is way too light on content to be considered something more than a great weekend rental.
Frustratingly, the first 10-15 minutes of Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 1: The Order of the Stone is extremely dull. It's trying to set the scene but just very little happens to the point of it almost being completely off-putting. It then goes from 0-100 in the space of roughly five minutes, and from that moment onwards, the player will be hooked and craving more. Bring on Episode 2!
For everything that Poncho is, it still remains stagnant. The interesting idea of an apocalyptic scenario not filled with zombies is met with great artwork. However, it soon gets humbled, and the gameplay that follows is somewhat painful to play. Understanding the mechanic of swapping between layers is simple enough, but understanding how the world works around it is arduous, and at the end of it all, leaves a bad taste in the gamer's mouth.
The blame should definitely not go to Night Dive Studios. It has, once again, done what it is best at, which is publishing various greats from the past, and with as little alteration as possible. The thing is, though, that Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was never exactly one of those "greats," something that is far more obvious after all these years. Of course, when it comes to personal taste, everything is subjective, right? That's correct, but there's a second problem with this version, even for those who loved the Acclaim's original release, and that is its current £13.39 price tag, which should be forbidden for such an old product, enhanced or not.
Satellite Reign had a lot of promise of a cool world, tactical combat, and RPG elements, to potentially make an immersive experience. However, the vast options and choices are overwhelming without an arcing narrative to guide anyone willing to experience it, therefore, all that is left is a world that looks pretty impressive, and with and elements of the game that are fun, but in the end it all feels somewhat lifeless.
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is a game that takes the bad with the good, and mixes it all into a big sloppy mess. An obviously good choice for parents whose children love Adventure Time, or potentially even adults with the same affinity, assuming the occasional poorly designed puzzle system can be looked past. It's a dumb, fun game for people that like dumb, fun stuff.
Yo-kai Watch is definitely an all-ages RPG. Everything from the dialogue to the battle system feels very light-hearted, and that's definitely not a bad thing. With a huge amount of media related to it out there, being accessible to anyone who might want to play through it is a major strength. Despite its kid-friendly appearance, there's a lot to like here, either for fans of the animated series, or just for someone looking to pick up a low-stress RPG. With hugely appealing characters and highly addictive gameplay, Yo-kai Watch has really set itself up for long-lasting success as a franchise.
Curses 'N Chaos will appeal only to a very small niche market. Enjoying it requires an intact nostalgia bubble and a friend to play with, and even then, there are better options out there. Tribute Games have admirably captured the immediacy and charm of retro gaming, but they've also revived its unfair and ill-conceived design techniques, many of which died out for good reason.
Besides being true to the hard lives of cosplayers in between conventions, there are not many redeemable qualities in Cosplay Maker. It succeeds perfectly with capturing all the boring aspects of the hobby, while - and almost as if it was on purpose - missing every single enjoyable and rewarding aspect of it. When most of the game is made up of "loading screens" that can't be skipped, something is seriously wrong; furthermore, every single aspect of the game that might have been enjoyable is compromised or removed completely from the game. What would have been fun in a title like this would be the option to actually design something or posing on a stage acting out the character. Instead, what is given to the player is a bunch of horribly scripted and shallow cosplay friends. Cubed3 recommends staying away from this title, unless there is a genuine interest in what the boring everyday life of a cosplay maker looks like when not on conventions.
The different gameplay elements that comprise Tomb Raider are very well done, and they are a lot of fun. During the TPS parts, Tomb Raider is competent. During the survival horror parts, Tomb Raider is competent. During the survival crafting parts, Tomb Raider is competent. This doesn't leave the whole package as competent, though. Even if someone used the best noodles possible, the best chocolate syrup, a lavish Lamborghini steering wheel, and a $900 pair of shoes, a lasagne made out of these ingredients wouldn't be very good—even if all the different parts are high quality. Tomb Raider needed someone to stand up and tell the marketing department that disparate gameplay elements weren't going to be shoehorned in simply to increase sales by 0.025%. Lara Croft does a wonderful job of redeeming Tomb Raider, and is the only reason it's playable, but it's only marginally more fleshed out than the myriad of mini-game collections found for the Kinect and Move.
Even though the difficulty is extremely high, Super Meat Boy is worth the perseverance and dedication that it takes to become skilled. Completing a stage or collecting a bandage after dozens of attempts is tremendously rewarding. It is easily one of the best platformers to come out in recent years, and the effort and care of Team Meat shows in the final product; it's fantastic. Not very many games can nail that line, but Super Meat Boy is the magnum opus of "easy to learn, difficult to master."
Read Only Memories is a game that attempts to please and pander to a very specific audience, lacking in true diversification, and at the same time, provides a dull, and boring feel from start to finish. Visually, it takes a classic recognisable design, and makes it look as if created with software that could rival a default paint program. Being called a bigot is never entertaining, the basic procedure of pointing and clicking is executed painfully, the soundtrack, at times, is rather pleasing, but overall, this is a memory that no one will ever want to read. A finer example for those interested in a solid point-and-click adventure is Armikrog.
Anyone who is a fan of fumblecore style games will possibly get a kick out of Starwhal, but for those who care about tight controls or a single-player mode with some substance may want to steer clear from this stinky fish.
Star Wars Pinball: the Heroes Within is the best pack of DLC tables released so far. It features possibly the best tables yet in the Star Wars Pinball series, including some of the most stunningly looking ones too, but also offering more content for the same price than the previously released Balance of the Force pack. Granted there are not many packs to compare this one to, but it's clearly the kind of DLC that makes you wish these tables had been the main game right from the start, and that the base pack had been made DLC instead. Indeed, one must still purchase the base three tables on Wii U in order to experience these four new ones, bringing the overall price to experience these on Nintendo's console to higher than it would be on some other devices where it is possible to purchase tables one by one. That's not to say that the base Star Wars Pinball pack isn't worth purchasing anyway, as its original review will show. That one really impressed with its quality content and exploitation of the franchise for pinball purposes, back in 2013. This new pack builds on what was already a great piece of software for both Star Wars and pinball fans. This new pack is a must-have on the eShop as each table offers lots of fun, looks great, and sounds awesome.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon has a really rough start. It tries to set itself up for a grand adventure, but comes across as plodding and aggravating for the first several hours. While not an absolute deal breaker, it does make for a hard sell for those who aren't totally committed to the series. For fans of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, however, there's a bevy of new customisation options, new Pokémon to meet and recruit, and new challenges and dungeons to explore. It may not be quite the comeback some were expecting, but it shows that the series still knows its roots, and that there's still room to grow from here.
The time spent with Riptide GP2 is good, wholesome fun. The game is not incredibly impressive, but lends itself to heated competitions versus friends, or just a short bit of mindless play that requires very little of the player. Not a great choice for fans of the hardcore racing genre - it is, perhaps, a better choice for those out there with fond memories for Wave Race who would like to jump into some new aquatic races, perhaps even split-screen, for a new play on a nostalgic classic.